Self-assessed Competence Research Articles

Oral health curriculum evaluation tool (OHCET) for primary care training programs.

Primary care training schools and programs lack a validated tool to assess their oral health curriculum, and researchers lack a tool to compare oral health curricula across programs/schools and different disciplines. This study describes the process and results of creating a 15-item oral health curriculum evaluation tool (OHCET). Three-phased development of the OHCET from 2018 to 2020 including (a) Delphi group/tool development; (b) tool pilot test; and (c) tool validation/cognitive interviews. A total of 23 program deans/directors participated in the tool validation/cognitive interviews. Summarizing accuracy scores of all 15 items, the mean accuracy score was 87.1. There was a high correlation (0.917) between the program's total score and the program director's self-assessed competence of their learners at the time of graduation. The OHCET was validated and can be used in primary care training programs and schools across the country for institutional evaluation and for research purposes. Program directors and deans can also have some confidence that their ability to subjectively assess their learner's oral health knowledge and skills at graduation is accurate.

An Overview of Online Resources for Medical Spanish Education for Effective Communication with Spanish-Speaking Patients

Phenomenon Despite the rapid development of virtual medical Spanish educational materials, online resources lack transparency and a peer-review process. The purpose of this interdisciplinary study was to provide a critical inventory of virtual resources for medical Spanish education, thereby providing a panorama of the current state of online medical Spanish. Approach Research team members conducted iterative searches to identify medical Spanish online resources, which were then screened for predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Between June and August 2020, a panel of medical and language experts then adapted and applied a previously published evaluation tool to determine whether resources that met study criteria would help learners achieve medical Spanish core competencies and to what extent each resource incorporated communicative language activities. Consensus meetings were conducted to resolve disagreements and identify gaps in online education. Findings Out of 465 resources, 127 were further screened, and eight were selected for evaluation. Medical and language specialists independently scored each resource and, following discussions, achieved consensus. Overall, no resource met suitability criteria for all five medical Spanish learner competencies or cultural elements, and only one was suitable for achieving the self-assessment competency. Insights Interdisciplinary consensus meetings provide an important avenue for resolving differences of opinion and for integrating both language and medical perspectives into the evaluation process. Existing online resources should be used in conjunction with other materials to ensure that all core competencies for medical Spanish education are addressed. This study revealed important gaps in online resources, including a need to target advanced Spanish learners, apply authentic communicative activities, include assessment opportunities, and integrate culture in the learning program. Based on the current state of online medical Spanish, we offer recommendations for future resources.

Pushing the bench: A mixed methods study of barriers to and facilitators of identification and referral into depression care by professional nurses in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ObjectiveIntegration of mental health and chronic disease services in primary care could reduce the mental health treatment gap and improve associated health outcomes in low-resource settings. Low rates of nurse identification and referral of patients with depression limit the effectiveness of integrated mental health care; the barriers to and facilitators of identification and referral in South Africa and comparable settings remain undefined. This study explored barriers to and facilitators of nurse identification and referral of patients with depressive symptoms as part of integrated mental health service delivery in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. DesignTriangulation mixed methods study incorporating qualitative and quantitative data. MethodsData collection, analysis, and interpretation were guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Participants were professional nurses at ten primary health care facilities in Amajuba, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Qualitative data collection involved semi-structured interviews targeting specific CFIR constructs with high- and low-referring nurses. Deductive and inductive coding were used to derive primary themes related to barriers and facilitators. Quantitative data collection involved a structured questionnaire assessing determinants explored in the interviews. Qualitative comparative analysis was used to identify the necessary or sufficient conditions for high and low nurse referral. ResultsTwenty-two nurses were interviewed. Primary themes related to insufficient training, supervision, and competency; emotional burden; limited human and physical resources; perceived patient need for integrated services; and intervention acceptability. Sixty-eight nurses completed questionnaires. Quantitative results confirmed and expanded upon the qualitative findings. Low self-assessed competency was a consistent barrier to appropriate service delivery. ConclusionsTo promote the success of integrated care in a context of severe staff shortages and over-burdened providers, implementation strategies including direct training, structured supervision, and routine behavioral health screening tools are warranted. Interventions to improve mental health literacy of patients as well as emotional support for nurses are also needed.

Development of clinical competence \u2013 a longitudinal survey of nurse practitioner students

BackgroundIn order to achieve a sustainable standard of advanced clinical competence for nurse practitioners leading to a credible role, it is important to investigate the development of clinical competence among nurse practitioner students.AimThe aim of the present study is to analyse the development of nurse practitioner students’ self-assessed clinical competence from the beginning of their education to after completion of their clinical studies.DesignThe study involved the application of a longitudinal survey design adhering to STROBE guidelines.MethodsThe participants consisted of 36 registered nurses from a nurse practitioner programme at a Norwegian university. The Professional Nurse Self-Assessment Scale II was used for data collection during the period August 2015 to May 2020.ResultsThe students developed their clinical competence the most for direct clinical practice. Our findings are inconclusive in terms of whether the students developed clinical competence regarding consultation, coaching and guidance, and collaboration. However, they do indicate a lack of development in some aspects of clinical leadership. The students with the lowest level of clinical competence developed their clinical competence regarding direct clinical practice significantly more than the students with the highest level of clinical competence. The differences between students with high and low levels of clinical competence were levelled out during their education. Thus, the students as a whole became a more homogenous group after completion of their clinical studies. Previous work experience in primary healthcare was a statistically significant, yet minor, predictor of the development of clinical competence.ConclusionOur findings indicate that the students developed their clinical competence for direct clinical practice in accordance with the intended learning outcomes of the university’s Master’s programme and international standards for nurse practitioners. It is imperative that the clinical field supports nurse practitioners by facilitating extended work-task fits that are appropriate to their newly developed clinical competence. We refrain from concluding with a recommendation that prior clinical work experience should be an entry requirement for nurse practitioner programmes. However, we recommend an evaluation of the nurse practitioner education programme with the aim of investigating whether the curriculum meets the academic standards of clinical leadership expected in advanced level of nursing.

Assessing Comfort in Conducting Research Among Medical Students Interested in Dermatology

Introduction: Participation in research has become increasingly popular amongst US medical students hoping to match into dermatology residency. While medical students have increasingly high research output by the time of graduation, the preparedness of medical students for independent research is unknown. Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed to 137 dermatology interest groups across the country. The survey contained 21 multiple choice and free text questions that assessed students’ research experiences and self-assessed competency in key research components. Fifty-seven students participated. Results: Students were most comfortable with creating posters for presenting research, writing an abstract and reviewing charts to gather pertinent data for research projects. Students reported a below-average comfort level with data analysis. Medical students who participated in more than eight research experiences and those who perform epidemiological research or commentaries have greater confidence in their ability to conduct research. Conclusion: Experience in research is associated with the ability to conduct research independently, but there is significant variance in the comfortability to perform essential research-related tasks.

Attitudes of Czech College Students Toward Digital Literacy and Their Technical Aids in Times of COVID-19

At present, when the whole world is struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to address both the issue of flexibility when educating the younger generation and the issue of further professional education, which contributes to the development of competences that are directly relevant to life and everyday activities in the 21st century. The common denominator of these competences is digital competence. It is the aspect of education that is of primary and crucial importance for digital literacy development. This re-search study aims at establishing the availability of digital media and atti-tudes towards one’s own technical aids and digital literacy among students of two higher education institutions in the Czech Republic. Empirical research involved 1233 college students. The set research hypotheses were tested with a questionnaire-based survey using the Likert scale. A cluster analysis was conducted in the SPSS program. In view of the ordinal nature of data, the nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test conducted at significance levels of 5% and 1% in SPSS was applied to test the dependence of competence self-assessment on the specialization of the higher education institutions/ study level/ study form. The research has unequivocally proven that digital literacy is influenced by education, in terms of the specific study programme special-ization, study level and study form.

The role of technology in assessment, documentation, and tracking of clinical competencies in radiography education

The role of technology in assessment, documentation, and tracking of clinical competencies in radiography education

General practitioners’ self-reported competence in the management of sexual health issues – a web-based questionnaire study from Finland

Objective Although sexual problems are common, they are rarely brought up in appointments with general practitioners (GPs). We aimed to assess the barriers that hinder GPs from bringing up sexual health issues and to evaluate the need for education on sexual medicine. Design A web-based questionnaire was used. Setting Four fields were included: A) the self-reported competence in discussing sexual health and treating patients with these issues, B) the barriers to bringing up patients’ sexual health problems, C) the source of education on sexual medicine and D) the need for education on sexual medicine. Subjects A random sample of 1000 GPs in Finland (a response rate of 43.5%, n = 402). Main outcome measures GPs’ self-assessed competence in discussing and treating sexual health issues, related barriers to bringing up the topic and the reported need for education. Results The main reasons reported for not bringing up sexual health issues were shortness of the appointment time (85.6%), a lack of knowledge (83.6%) and a lack of experience with sexual medicine (81.8%). The male GPs reported better competence in discussing the issues and treating male patients, whereas the female GPs reported better competence in discussing the issues with female patients. No differences emerged between genders regarding treating female patients. Nearly 90% of the GPs expressed needing more education about sexual medicine. Conclusions Although the GPs reported good competence in discussing sexual health issues with their patients, several barriers to bringing up sexual health issues emerged. Continuing education was desired and could lessen these barriers. Key points Only a few studies have evaluated the competence of general practitioners (GPs) in addressing sexual health issues with their patients. In our study, the GPs reported a high competence in discussing patients’ sexual health issues regardless of the patient’s gender. However, several barriers to bringing up sexual health issues in appointments emerged. A majority of the GPs expressed a need for continuing education about sexual medicine.

Quality Improvement Education in the Era of COVID-19: A Pivot Toward Virtual Education.

Quality Improvement Education in the Era of COVID-19: A Pivot Toward Virtual Education.

Digital competencies’ assessment and challenges of academic staff: the case of Latvia

The need to develop digital competences has long been emphasized, but only in the state of emergency due to COVID-19, it has become a real necessity. The study process in higher education institutions is organized remotely, which means that academic staff have essential digital competencies to ensure a certain level of quality. The aim of the research is to study the self-assessment of the digital competencies of the academic staff and the possibilities of its improvement. In the course of the research, there were surveyed the representatives of the academic staff of regional higher education institutions of Latvia, who were asked to assess their digital competencies. When analysing the obtained data, it was taken into account whether the academic staff has an IT-related education or occupation. As a result, it was concluded that, in general, the most significant problems for academic staff are content creation and information processing, which are essential for the successful implementation of their job responsibilities. Accordingly, the academic staff is also interested in developing these competencies in particular.

Postprocedural Cognitive Load Measurement With Immediate Feedback to Guide Curriculum Development

BackgroundMethods to assess competency in cardiothoracic training are essential. Here, we report a system that allows us to better assess competency from the perspective of both the trainee and educator. We hypothesized that postprocedural cognitive burden measurement (by the trainee) with immediate feedback (from the educator) could aid in identifying barriers to the acquisition of skills and knowledge so that training curricula can be individualized. MethodsThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), a validated instrument to measure cognitive load, was administered with an online platform after bronchoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for 11 residents. Immediate postprocedure feedback and standardized debriefing occurred for each procedure. ResultsMean NASA-TLX scores were highest (indicating greater cognitive load) for esophagogastroduodenoscopy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (P < .001). When comparing subscale measures, mental demand was significantly higher for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (P = .026) compared with the other procedures, whereas physical demand was highest for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (P = .018). Self-reported frustration was similar for all case types (P = .247). Cognitive burden decreased with a greater number of procedures for bronchoscopy (P = .027). Significant improvement was noted by the trainee at the end of the rotation in self-assessed procedural competency and preparedness for thoracic board topics (all P < .05). Postprocedure feedback by the attending surgeon correlated with more frequent completion of self-evaluations by the residents. ConclusionsLongitudinal assessment of cognitive load in combination with postprocedural feedback identified barriers to skill acquisition for both residents and educators. This information allows for individualized rotation development as a step toward a competency-based curriculum.

Can interprofessional case conferences effectively teach interprofessional core competencies? A case study

BackgroundThe establishment of interprofessional education (IPE) as an effective method for training future health care providers, the subsequent establishment of IPE requirements in accreditation standards, and the challenges to integrating IPE into professional-centric curricula have created an environment that encourages opportunity for innovation and collaboration in curriculum design. Interprofessional education activityInterprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies were integrated into an Interprofessional Case Conference (ICC) model that included six annual case conferences involving students from eight health professions across multiple campuses. Students worked in groups of eight with no more than two students from each profession per group. Interprofessional teams facilitated live progressive cases consisting of iterative guided student discussion alternating with group problem solving, followed by “talk-show style” reports. A retrospective pre-post study design using the validated IPEC Competency Self-Assessment V3 and Student Perspective of Interprofessional Clinical Education tools assessed student perspectives of the ICC model. The online survey was sent to participants who attended at least one ICC in 2015–2016 and 2016–2017. DiscussionPre-/post-data was available from 94 students. Results revealed modest, but significant, score changes across both instruments, confirming the value of IPE and the ICC training model. ImplicationsThe ICC formula allowed flexibility in applying IPE, resolved scheduling and resources challenges, complemented other IPE programming, and assisted in meeting pharmacy accreditation requirements and the diverse IPE needs of health professions education. The model is flexible, inexpensive, and could be readily replicated at other institutions.

Contemporary trends for urological training and management of stress urinary incontinence in Ireland

Introduction and hypothesisThe aim of this study is to evaluate the trends in stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery since the 2018 pause on use of the polypropylene (PP) mid-urethral sling (MUS) and to quantify the effect this has had on surgical training.MethodsTwo anonymous surveys were sent to all current urology trainees and to all consultant surgeons who specialise in stress urinary incontinence surgery.ResultsPrior to the pause, 86% (6 out of 7) of consultant urologists and 73% (11 out of 15) of consultant gynaecologists would “always”/“often” perform MUS for SUI. After that, 100% (22 out of 22) of consultants reported that they “never” perform MUS. There has been a modest increase in the use of urethral bulking agent (UBA) procedures among urologists, with 43% (3 out of 7) now “often” performing this, compared with 71% (5 out of 7) “never” performing it pre-2018. Trainee exposure to SUI surgery reduced by 75% between 2016 and 2020. Despite a ten-fold increase in UBA procedures logged by trainees, the decline in MUS has resulted in a major reduction in total SUI surgeries. Coinciding with this decrease in surgeries, there was a 56% reduction in trainees’ self-assessed competence at SUI surgery. Thirteen percent of trainees are interested in specialising in Female Urology and those trainees had significantly greater exposure to SUI procedures during their training than those who did not (p = 0.0072).ConclusionsThis study has identified a downward trend in SUI surgery, which is concerning for the undertreatment of females with SUI. A decline in SUI surgery training has resulted in reduced trainee confidence and interest in this subspecialty.

Knowledge and perception of biosimilars in ambulatory care: a survey among Belgian community pharmacists and physicians

BackgroundWith the approval of biosimilars for subcutaneously administered products, such as adalimumab, etanercept and insulin, biosimilars become increasingly available in ambulatory care. Little is known about the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare providers who are in charge of dispensing and prescribing biosimilars in this context. This study aims to assess the knowledge and perception about biosimilars among community pharmacists and physicians.MethodsBelgian community pharmacists (n = 177) and physicians (n = 30) were surveyed on their knowledge, experience with dispensing/prescribing biologicals including biosimilars, perception regarding interchangeability, switching and substitution and informational and educational needs. Descriptive and statistical analyses were performed.ResultsOnly 32% of community pharmacists and 52% of physicians had yet dispensed/prescribed a biosimilar. Approximately 35% of community pharmacists felt insufficiently trained to counsel patients with biosimilar therapy, which was significantly higher compared to their self-assessed competence to counsel patients with biological therapy in general (p = 0.023). Community pharmacists experienced questions about similarity between reference products and biosimilars (47%) and their interchangeability (42%). Over 40% of physicians found patient uncertainty about efficacy and safety challenging when prescribing biosimilars. A similar proportion of physicians would only prescribe a biosimilar in indications for which the biosimilar has been tested clinically. The majority of pharmacists (58%) was in favor of substitution of biologicals, on the condition that the prescriber would be contacted. Also over 40% of physicians was open to this approach in case of substitution. Educational support, budget for additional staff and transparency about savings were considered suitable stimuli to incentivize biosimilar use. The need for information about biologicals including biosimilars was nearly unanimous among community pharmacists. Also 67% of physicians requested more information. Both community pharmacists and physicians preferred to be informed by their respective professional associations.ConclusionsThis study showed a substantial need for targeted educational measures to increase the knowledge and confidence about both biological medicines in general and biosimilars in particular among Belgian community pharmacists and physicians. The results may inform educational and policy measures to stimulate biosimilar use in ambulatory care.

Implementing Palliative Care Training in the Caribbean: Development and Assessment of a Basic Palliative Care Training Course in Jamaica

ContextThe majority of people in need of palliative care (PC) in low- and middle-income countries lack access to it and suffer unnecessarily as a consequence. This unmet need is due, in part, to the lack of trained PC providers. ObjectivesThis study aims to assess the effects of regional training in PC for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in the Caribbean through assessment of participant satisfaction, anticipated course impact on participants’ clinical practice, barriers to changing practice, and perceived course impact on achievement of key PC milestones. MethodsWe created and taught a course in basic PC for clinicians from the Caribbean region and collected and analyzed postcourse quantitative and qualitative data on satisfaction and expected impact. ResultsEighty-three clinicians from five Caribbean countries participated in this workshop. Thirty participants completed the post-course survey. One hundred percent of these participants ranked the quality of the course as “very high quality” or “high quality.” The majority of participants anticipated changing their practice as a result of this course. Several barriers were reported, including lack of formal PC training in participants’ home countries. Results of participants’ retrospective pre- and postcourse self-assessment for achievement of key PC milestones showed a statistically significant mean increase of at least one point on the seven-point Likert scale for each milestone. ConclusionOverall satisfaction with the course was high, and self-assessed competency in PC improved. These data suggest that an intensive training over several days is an effective format for increasing providers’ perceived efficacy in delivering PC.

Self-assessment of some teacher competencies for working with children with disabilities

Aim. The aim of this study is to define teacher competencies and some specific differences in self-assessment with regard to the completion of studies according to the new or the old curriculum. Efforts were also made to gain insight into the specific deficiencies of the competencies related to the integrated education and training of children with developmental disabilities. Methodology. The research was conducted on a sample of 212 regular primary school teachers who dealt with children with disabilities in their work. A questionnaire constructed for the purposes of this research was used. Previously, a pilot study was conducted. Participants were divided into two groups. One group of teachers who were educated according to the old program and teachers who were educated according to the new program in the broad context of working with children with disabilities. Results. The obtained results indicate differences between the observed groups and the need for continuous (self) assessments of teachers’ responsibilities to enable students with disabilities to learn and thrive in line with their abilities as well as to find alternative ways to meet their different needs in a wider sense. Also, teachers are aware of the need for continuous training in this area. These findings have contributions in the scientific and practical sense.

Heart and Head: Profiles and Predictors of Self-Assessed Cognitive and Affective Empathy in a Sample of Medical and Health Professional Students.

For medical and health professions, students learning to respond to others' distress with well-regulated empathy is an important developmental skill linked to positive health outcomes and professionalism. Our study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic, psychological, and psychosocial differences between medical (MS) and health professional (HPS) students and their empathic abilities, since both populations share common stressors, namely, dealing with suffering people. Additionally, we were interested in assessing the psychological and psychosocial predictors of empathy of MS compared to HPS. One hundred thirty MS and 86 HPS were administered the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Integrative Hope Scale, and UCLA Loneliness Scale. The two groups showed differences in their contextual characteristics, with the HPS group having larger families, lower parents' education levels, and lower family income compared to the MS group. In both groups, ~15% of students reported previous contact for psychological problems. A higher proportion of HPS (23.3%) reported depressive symptoms than MS (10%), and female HPS reported more intense feelings of loneliness than other subgroups of students. No differences were found between the two groups in self-assessed cognitive and affective empathy. In both groups, women showed greater affective scores than men and, at the same time, seemed to be particularly prone to personal distress. The cognitive empathic dimension of “perspective taking” was predicted by young age (OR, 612; 95% CI, 1.395–15.242) and the overall socioeconomic status (OR, 3.175; 95% CI, 1.154–8.734) of the HPS. Self-assessed affective competence was predicted by female gender (OR, 3.112; 95% CI, 1.328–7.288), depressive symptomatology (OR, 2.777; 95% CI, 1.004–7.681), higher mother's level of education (OR, 2.764; 95% CI, 1.147–6.659), and feeling of hope related to social relationships (OR, 1.367; 95% CI, 1.152–1.622). Risk factors for poor self-assessed affective emphatic skills were previous contact for psychological problems (OR, 3.263; 95% CI, 1.238–8.601) and feelings of loneliness (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09–1.276). Our findings emphasize the need to test psychosocial models to better understand empathic skills.

Effectiveness of the Educational Program Concerning Nurse- Midwives SBAR Tool Communication on Maternal Health Documentation at Maternal wards in Baghdad Maternity Hospitals

Background: Obstetrics is one of the most common specialties to encounter malpractice claims. Some of the obstetric malpractice claims are related to poor nurse –midwives obstetric communications. The Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (SBAR) model has been suggested as a channel to facilitate effective communication between healthcare professionals, developed for health care. Objective: To assess the effect of SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation) on maternal health report documentation accuracy. To determine the effect of adopting SBAR practice and communication tool in emergency and delivery settings. To find out the differences in the practice and communication of nurse –midwives before and after SBAR implementation. To develop a script paper based on SBAR tool for nurse –midwives. To assess the relationship between of self-assessment and researcher evaluation of maternal scenario application competency of nurse-midwives using SBAR tool. Method: A quasi-experimental design was carried out with the application of pre- posttest for nurses-midwives’ knowledge regarding SBAR communication tool. The study is held in Al-Elwia maternity teaching hospital, Al –Karkh maternity hospital and Al-Yarmouk general teaching Hospital from 26/3/2017-to- 30/4/2018. The study aims to assess the Educational Program concerning Nurse- Midwives SBAR Tool Communication on Maternal Health Documentation at Maternal wards in Baghdad Maternity Hospitals and to assess the relationship between self-assessment and researcher evaluation of maternal scenario application competency of nurse-midwives using SBAR tool applying during fit time. The study sample consist of Non-probability (purposive) sample consisted of (84) nurse- midwives. The questionnaire comprised of demographic data, nurses- midwives knowledge of SBAR using (3) level Likert scale for assessment, with Cut –off point (2). Content validity was determined through (21) experts. ...............

Successful implementation of a longitudinal skill-based teaching curriculum for residents

BackgroundDespite significant teaching responsibilities and national accreditation standards, most residents do not receive adequate instruction in teaching methods. Published reports of residents-as-teachers programs vary from brief one-time exposures to curricula delivered over several months. A majority of interventions described are one or two-day workshops with no clear follow-up or reinforcement of skills. A three-year longitudinal teaching skills curriculum was implemented with these goals: 1) deliver an experiential skill-based teaching curriculum allowing all residents to acquire, practice and implement specific skills; 2) provide spaced skills instruction promoting deliberate practice/reflection; and 3) help residents gain confidence in their teaching skills.MethodsOne hundred percent of internal medicine residents (82/82) participated in the curriculum. Every 10 weeks residents attended a topic-specific experiential skills-based workshop. Each workshop followed the same pedagogy starting with debriefing/reflection on residents’ deliberate practice of the previously taught skill and introduction of a new skill followed by skill practice with feedback. Every year, participants completed: 1) assessment of overall confidence in each skill and 2) retrospective pre-post self-assessment. A post-curriculum survey was completed at the end of 3 years.ResultsResidents reported improved confidence and self-assessed competence in their teaching skills after the first year of the curriculum which was sustained through the three-year curriculum. The curriculum was well received and valued by residents.ConclusionsA formal longitudinal, experiential skills-based teaching skills curriculum is feasible and can be delivered to all residents. For meaningful skill acquisition to occur, recurrent continuous skill-based practice with feedback and reflection is important.

Final-year medical students\u2019 competence profiles according to the modified requirement tracking questionnaire

BackgroundUndergraduate medical education is supposed to equip medical students with basic competences to select any specialty of their choice for postgraduate training. Medical specialties are characterized by a great diversity of their daily work routines and require different sets of competence facets. This study examines the self-assessed competence profiles of final-year undergraduate medical students and their specialty choice for postgraduate training. Students’ profiles, who wish to choose anaesthesiology, internal medicine, or paediatrics, are compared with the physicians’ competence profiles from these three disciplines.MethodsIn this study, 148 volunteer final-year undergraduate medical students completed the modified requirement-tracking (R-Track) questionnaire for self-assessment of their competence profiles. The R-Track questionnaire contains 63 competence facets assigned to six areas of competence: “Mental abilities”, “Sensory abilities”, “Psychomotor & multitasking abilities”, “Social interactive competences”, “Motivation”, and “Personality traits”. The expression of the different competence facets had to be assessed on a 5-point Likert scale (1: “very low” to 5: “very high”). Additionally, socio-demographic data and the participants’ first choice of a medical speciality for postgraduate education were collected. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) for mean score comparison of subgroups and least significant difference (LSD) tests for post hoc analysis.ResultsThe competence area with the highest rating was “Motivation” (3.70 ± 0.47) while “Psychomotor & multitasking abilities” received the lowest rating (3.34 ± 0.68). Individual facets of competence ranked from “In need of harmony” (4.36 ± 0.72), followed by “Tactfulness” (4.26 ± 0.64), and “Cooperation/Agreeableness” (4.24 ± 0.53) to “Risk orientation” (2.90 ± 0.92), “Mathematical reasoning” (2.87 ± 1.25), and “Sanctioning” (2.26 ± 0.93). The students’ competence profiles showed 100 % congruence with physicians’ competence profiles of the postgraduate specialty of their choice for internal medicine, 33.3 % for paediatrics, and 0 % for anaesthesiology.ConclusionsUndergraduate medical students could define their competence profiles with the modified R-Track questionnaire and compare them with the profile of their desired specialty for postgraduate training to discover possible learning gaps or to detect good specialty matches. A combination of students’ competence self-assessment with an external assessment of students’ facets of competence could provide curricular planners with useful information how to design learning opportunities for specific facets of competence.